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by Lavia on May 23rd, 2011, 7:50 pm
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by Azurk on May 24th, 2011, 4:01 am
The line was in the River, bobbing gently with the run of the water as it flooded over rock and dirt. The Bluevein looked marvelously cool and refreshing as it washed its way through the otherwise parched plains. The liquid itself came from parts Azurk did not know, and likely carried the secrets of all its benefactors, perhaps among some distant mountains and lakes. And here, at Riverfall, the stretched, lengthy River met the sea, its end, in a beautiful, tumbling cascade off of several tiers of a cliff. There were timeless whispers in the water, bearing down in an infinite cycle from source to river to ocean to rain. All of it flushing by them in mere seconds. He stood a while in this ponderence, holding the fishing pole. He was excited for a while, and anxious about what to do if he should get a bite. Although he was patient, the art of fishing was a patient one also, and as he saw Lavia begin to get a little restless downriver, he decided to sit down. This could take time, if it ever gets done. He was fortunate to have a small boulder right next to his spot, so he lowered himself onto it. The seat was not the most comfortable, as it was rather below his height and required his knees to be higher than his waist, and as well as this it was hard and rigid, as one would expect a rock to be. Regardless, he supposed it was preferable to a spot in the mud or remaining on his feet. He placed the fishing rod upright against his natural chair. Lavia had apparently found her target, and she jabbed at the water, splashing about and coming up empty-handed. Azurk admired her unsuccessful work and subsequently felt more forgiving of his own deficiency in this particular task. He brought his attention back to his fishing utensil and observed its absolute stillness. He breathed in deeply, placing his hands on his thighs and rubbing his legs through his breeches. The water rolled through the landscape and above its constant rumbling one could discern an overlaying trickle. The trickling sound was simply hypnotyzing, enough to send a tingle through the bloodstream and render the body and mind more calmed and sensitive. Azurk began to close his eyes. The warmth of the sun, though, started to bother him, and he desired a drink from the magical River itself. He strayed from his post and bent over on the bank, cupping a small, transparent pool of sensational water into his hands. He sipped from this makeshift goblet, and then tossed the rest over his face, returning his hands to the River for more, and then tossing that across his shoulders and ears. As he came back up to his feet, the fishing rod jolted and fell, and Azurk sprang into aciton. He leapt for the pole, but the pebbles on the riverbank were slippery, and so his foot glided and he collapsed into the water. "Bah!" With some sensibility knocked into him, he got to his feet slowly this time, and approached the fishing rod with similar caution. He picked it up and reeled it in, and to his dismay there was a small, unimpressive fish clenched onto the hook. Azurk sighed and shook his head. "You see what I do for this?" He looked at Lavia and laughed. |
by Lavia on May 26th, 2011, 7:31 am
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by Azurk on May 27th, 2011, 9:36 pm
Azurk was thankful that Lavia had taken his joking well. She clearly had no major issue with him being unable to catch a sufficient fish. That she had more food in her tent indicated to him that the fishing was an activity meant for enjoyment, not for actually harvesting food. She beckoned to him to follow, but before they moved on to the tent, Lavia spared a moment to remove her pretty floral crown and surrender it to the River. She watched it only briefly, then walked away, but Azurk came after her and lingered a moment to see the petals soaked and carried away by the vein of the world. He rested the fishing rod on the ground by the javelin, and whilst he was bent down he ventured to splash some of the River water over his face. His back and arm stung from his fall. When he felt enough refreshed by the water, he continued up to Lavia's camp, where the failing embers of the prior night's fire still clinged to life. Lavia apologized for her unpreparedness, but Azurk had not planned on receiving anything during the visit; he had only made the trip to see the Kelvic who had empowered him over Kalik. She was in the tent, and he after her. The shelter was a fair size, and Azurk had to duck low through the entrance, but inside everything was comfortable. The place was well decorated, with a flashing array of colors about the two of them. Azurk marveled at the artistry while Lavia retrieved her plate and cutlery, setting them and the fish down on an assortment of small rocks. Azurk pondered the stones and recalled Lavia's interest in his makeshift shrine when they first met. But he imagined that these rocks had nothing to do with that. She was soon off again, now finding a bowl of apricots to offer him. He smiled as she came excitedly back, extending a large fruit in his direction, and he was about to take it when she seemed to scold herself for improper behavior. Azurk listened and watched her, raising his eyebrows minutely, and then reaching out for the apricot. "I like apricot," he said, taking the fruit. He knelt down and was much closer to her in doing so. He adjusted himself and settled in. "It is good to see you again, Lavia. It is good for me." He bit into the apricot and the fluids inside it rushed into his mouth and he savored the delicate taste and texture. He went on, but spoke now in Tukant. "I have been asleep for over a year. I try to remember it and all I can see are fragments, and I do not understand them. So it has been a dream and it's lost to me." He was looking at the floor now, and he scratched the back of his head with his free hand. He raised his gaze to Lavia again. "Maybe now I am awake." He ate more of his fruit. |
by Lavia on May 27th, 2011, 11:34 pm
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by Azurk on June 3rd, 2011, 11:10 pm
Azurk went on with his eating, and he thought that perhaps Lavia would have nothing to see, but she braved the silence and did indeed offer him words of advice. Though he was uncertain what a young Kelvic could provide in the way of wisdom (as highly as he respected her, the Akalak society did not trust the Kelvic to be more than naive pets), he did hear her out, for regardless of her race, she had been more capable than any Akalak at influencing his moribund attitude in these recent days. He refrained from consuming his apricot while she spoke, granting her his entire focus. She told him to forget. He was silent but he nodded, and he was unsure what he needed to forget. Maybe everything. And in hypothesis, forgetting was simple, but the mind would not so easily surrender its memories, for they were a dear treasure, however painful. He pondered her words, imploring him to have greater faith in his heart than his mind. With his heart he associated joy and courage, with his mind depth and complexity. He wondered but nothing was resolved. At least he was with a friend. She had said enough to prove as much--she spared consideration for his state and that was more than most would do. She believed in his strength. She believed in Azurk such that she thought his power greater than Kalik's. Certainly, should Azurk not resist, Kalik would come back, and there would be no change with all the passings of the seasons, and for years to come Kalik would be at the lead, and maybe someday Azurk would simply diminish and be gone without hope of return. Resistance was clearly the only method for change, but Kalik could already have acquired too much power for Azurk to ever be able to succeed. Lavia's confidence made Azurk bow his head, for he knew he did not deserve it. Yet, she supported him, and that was magical, for the Elder Council and Riverfall had abandoned him after the branding, deeming him to forever be lost to instability. Even Wysar might have deserted him. And Azurk had resigned hope in himself, so why should anyone accept him? She did. Lavia shifted and Azurk thought of her beauty, for he greatly appreciated her. She changed the subject and he followed her out of the heavy topics. He bit more from his apricot and finished it, but it did not taste so nice as it had at the start. "I was a warrior," Azurk supposed. "I was trained as warrior. But now I have no mentor, and Kalik, he does the training in these days." He traced an indiscernable figure on the back of his hand. "I have not traveled outside of Cyphrus. But to Endrykas I have been, and about the Sea of Grass on many missions. Thee years ago I lived in Riverfall, but Cerulean they have called me and so no I live in Takula Outpost." He looked up at Lavia. "This tent, and all your things... You travel by season, yes? Where have you been?" He had the strangest sensation of discomfort, for he normally felt somewhat nervous talking to other people, particularly non-Akalak, but with Lavia he did not feel so nervous; and he noticed the non-nervousness and it was precisely due to this that he felt uncomfortable. He awkwardly raised his hand and slowly rubbed the back of his head. |
by Lavia on June 5th, 2011, 5:49 am
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by Azurk on June 28th, 2011, 10:45 am
The apricot was gone; Azurk set the seed that remained carefully onto the floor. His fingers were dampened by the remnant juices of the fruit, and though his digits were now slightly sticky, it did not bother Azurk. His mouth had been invigorated by the bursting taste, and the refreshment had been an excellent supplement to Lavia's descriptions of her vast travels. She looked a young and lovely woman, and since she was Kelvic, Azurk supposed she was even younger than she appeared, for the animal race was short-lived and quick to mature. Yet, for all her visual youth, she was better travelled than he. She knew the end of the grasslands that Azurk could only imagine to be boundless. She had seen where the emerald sea became a terrain unknown to he. Her lungs were connoisseurs of foreign airs, dry and humid, salty and sweet. Her skin was acquainted with the brush of plant and land that Azurk learned only through story. Her eyes might be most fortunate of all, for as she delicately explained, they had savored the bounty of colors shining through mountains and seasons. For this slice of time, Azurk could envision the swirls and curves of Mizahar as Lavia drew them onto his palm. However, the trance was transitory, and Azurk woke from the color and life she had painted in brevity. He could hear her breathe. He was surely convinced that she was magical. And then she closed her story, sealing it for the now. Perhaps Azurk would uncover the rest of her tales later. She transitioned to the matter of bondmates. If anything was characteristic of a Kelvic, it was the desire to partner with a master-like figure. Such was the reason for their low status in Riverfall. They were rather like intelligent pets, Azurk had been taught. Lavia, though, was fascinating, bright, and beautiful. To him, she undoubtedly had to be an especially sentient gem. After all, a simple animal could not have so profound an effect on his emotions, could it? Lavia mentioned family. Azurk no longer had family, for it was not proper for a Cerulean to keep the family name, and although some of the Cult kept contact with their primary kin, Azurk had not been one of them. His shame had butchered him. Kalik wanted no family other than a son for himself to flaunt as a trophy. "Only I am Azurk. My family name is forsaken. I was born to Akalak, but that is all there is to say of my family." He broke eye contact and lowered his sight to Lavia's knees. He felt the blunt weight of embarassment and dishonor. He supposed that she could know his father's name, even if they no longer associated with one another. "Riarik Avol. He was my father, before I was Cerulean. It does not matter now." He looked into her eyes again, though his were now only thin slits between his eyelids. He was unable to shake the negative sentiment toward his history. He gulped and chose to ignore the sense of failure as best he could. "Where do you come from, Lavia? Your life started in Ravok, and now you search to bond. How can you know with who you will bond?" |
by Lavia on July 13th, 2011, 5:17 am
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by Paragon on December 19th, 2011, 12:03 am
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